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Thread: The Story of Big Red (and my to do list for this summer) advice/suggestions welcome.

  1. #1
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    The Story of Big Red (and my to do list for this summer) advice/suggestions welcome.

    So a little background on me and my gal. Several years ago, someone here posted a craigslist ad for an Imola Red Sporty Shorty. I remember, thinking "Please don't be anywhere close!" only to open the ad and see it was 70 miles away. Fast forward 2 days later and there is a 2001 Imola Red 740i parked next to her big brother (the now defunct alpine white 98 740il) in my driveway. She was a bit of a mess. Had clearly been wrecked and had some questionable work done, but it had all of the coveted bells and whistles (MKIV Nav, folding mirrors, black interior PDC, etc) and ran well, so I was determined to get everything as close to new as I could get it. Took it to my indy garage where they gave the engine a once over (everything checked out fine) I had them flush all the fluids and replace with new. bought a brake kit and front suspension kit from FCP that they were kind enough to install. Took it to a well respected paint shop in town and they had a go at fixing the paint and body work.

    At this point I had a pretty amazing looking ride on the outside. The interior wasn't bad but needed a little work. (map pockets were both broken, and there was a trim piece missing on my dash) I looked for parts, but never found anything that made me pull the trigger. I did end up buying a new (to me) back seat of the power-adjust variety that I thought would make a nice upgrade from a member here, but didn't get an opportunity to install it for a while. I also did a retrofit for factory SiriusXM radio.

    Fast forward a few years, and I moved from my apartment to a house, spent a ton of time working out of town, got an e70 X5 for a daily driver, and a terrible incident with a truck tread on the interstate and poor Big Red sat in the driveway, neglected but not forgotten, for several years.

    So, this spring/summer I'm going to have some time to work on her again and I already have a to-do list, but I figured I'd run it past the internet hive-mind here and see if I should do anything differently, in a different order or maybe not at all. (all advice/suggestions welcome)

    1) I did finally find dash piece and map pockets, so that is done. Interior is in pretty decent shape, but I do still have that power back seat I'd like to retrofit.
    2) The paint is a mess. The doors that got repainted are fine, but the hood has been redone twice now (under warranty from the paint shop) and it still continues to blister, peel and rust. (Which is quite puzzling since I'm told the hood is supposed to be aluminum) and the clear coat on the rest of the car is starting to peel. I have a friend with a paint booth so I'm going to try and get that taken care of)
    3) The front bumper is a mess. The truck tire tread incident did a number on it. The black plastic grill below the kidneys got smashed. It took out a fog light and the bumper itself is broken in a few pieces. I'm going to evaluate it when I get it off and see if it is repairable or if I have to source a new bumper. I have replacement fog lights and I'm going to try LEDs to see if I can get a close color temp match to the HIDs
    4) I plan on getting the Avin Avant4 head unit and the BavSound speakers for the doors and rear deck. It would appear I'm going to have to run some cables from the new head unit back to the DSP amp so I'm probably going to have to pull some or all of the seats so I figure that project might line up with my rear seat upgrade. That might also make my SiriusXM tuner available if someone is interested.
    5) While the back seat is out and the rear parcel shelf is out to replace the subs, I might re-dye it as it has faded into a not-so-lovely faint purple color.
    6) Remove rear bumper and replace wonky PDC sensor.
    7) Maybe retrofit heated seats in the front while I'm at it?
    8) While I have the doors apart for speaker upgrades, is there anything in there I should look out for? I know window regulators are a fairly common replacement on these cars, so is there anything I can do while I'm in there to help their longevity? (Grease 'em up, etc?)
    9) Cluster Pixel fix. I have the parts, I just need the time to do it.

    Thoughts? Ideas? Suggestions?

  2. #2
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    Depending on how she sat:
    -fresh battery
    -fresh oil and coolant and brake fluid and gas
    -rotors and pads
    -e-brake
    -rodent/wiring check
    -inner hermetic seals of Justice (aka vapor barriers)


    As for the hood, that was only for some of the 750s, believe everything else was steel.
    https://www.bimmerforums.com/forum/s...4#post21701984


    2001 750iL DD74441
    E65 fan & clutch, E65 headrests, Front First Aid Kit, Ultimate Cup holder

    2005 X5 4.8is LE82680
    Stock

    RIP: 2003 540iA Sport GS56111
    H&R front springs, Ultimate Cup Holder, Euro Dash & Armrest, Grom, BavSound Stage1

  3. #3
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    -fresh battery Check.
    -fresh oil and coolant and brake fluid and gas Haven't checked the brake fluid or coolant, but it's had an oil change and a few tanks of gas through it.
    -rotors and pads Those are in pretty decent shape.
    -e-brake What's that, he asked sarcastically.
    -rodent/wiring check It appears to have been rodent free. I did try and drive it or at least start it up every few weeks, so it wasn't quite as neglected as I may have lead on, but I still felt guilty, none the less.
    -inner hermetic seals of Justice (aka vapor barriers) If you're talking about the vapor barriers in the doors, I bought a giant role of butyl rubber tape/seal and already did the drivers door when I had it apart. I'll definitely be doing the other doors too. (and the e70 doors which is why I bought the stuff in the first place)


    As for the hood, that was only for some of the 750s, believe everything else was steel.
    https://www.bimmerforums.com/forum/s...4#post21701984



    Thanks for the info and suggestions!

  4. #4
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    Well done then.

    So as for order, most of the actions are actually independent. The only ones that really go together are the parcel shelf and subs. (Iirc most of the lines run along the sills and up the C pillar to the pass-through... or is that from my E39 days?) Maybe if you are doing suspension think about and changes to the shock/strut at that time.

    The common failure of the regulators are the plastic wheels. Those shatter and break. I have heard and seen posts about a “zip tie” but haven’t done it myself. Might be worth a shot.


    2001 750iL DD74441
    E65 fan & clutch, E65 headrests, Front First Aid Kit, Ultimate Cup holder

    2005 X5 4.8is LE82680
    Stock

    RIP: 2003 540iA Sport GS56111
    H&R front springs, Ultimate Cup Holder, Euro Dash & Armrest, Grom, BavSound Stage1

  5. #5
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    Yeah, I've been fairly fortunate thus far in that most of the problems I've had are things that have been well documented on here or YouTube, so I'm starting to get fairly comfortable working on these things, but I'm still a long way off from having the confidence to replace my timing chain guides. (the more pictures I see of that, the less confident I get)

    Yes, I can probably get the Avant cables routed under the door sills, but I'll still have to take the back seat out to access the pass through from what I can tell, and I think that's necessary for the parcel shelf, no? Front seats might come out for a re-dye and refurb. (and/or heated seat retrofit)

    I'll look into the zip tie thing, thanks.

    As for the hermetic seals of Justice... I don't have any leaks (knock on wood) on Big Red, but weather permitting this weekend I'll be doing those on the e70 and replacing the silly-putty door handles while I'm at it. The e70 has proven to be a very versatile vehicle for me (the guys at the steel yard look very puzzled when I pop the rear hatch and toss a half ton of square tubing in the back) but the dang thing leaks like a sieve right now.

  6. #6
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    Don’t be intimidated by the TCG. Especially as this isn’t your daily. Over on the other channel (fest) I did mine. Effectively the third time wrenching... ever. Make sure you know the steps, have reference documents, take pictures, and label and sort everything. I was able to get it done in a few days (Thursday night to Sunday morning) on my daily driver. What really gets you is either not triple checking or not being prepared for the brittle plastic or stuck bolts/fasteners. Other than the Jesus-bolt there isn’t anything too intimidating.


    2001 750iL DD74441
    E65 fan & clutch, E65 headrests, Front First Aid Kit, Ultimate Cup holder

    2005 X5 4.8is LE82680
    Stock

    RIP: 2003 540iA Sport GS56111
    H&R front springs, Ultimate Cup Holder, Euro Dash & Armrest, Grom, BavSound Stage1

  7. #7
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    Quote Originally Posted by TheAngryBear View Post
    Other than the Jesus-bolt there isn’t anything too intimidating.
    You have quite a way with words.

  8. #8
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    I just did one of my window regulators and will do the other one tomorrow. It is a big step to go from speakers to a window regulator, mine burned up to worm gear. It is not worth the short cut if you are going to get in there just replace them. It's really not that bad after you get the liner off. I wait for things to go wrong rather than PM, there never seems to be a shortage.
    01' 750il Chromeline
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    98' 740i for the daughter, wrecked
    92' 525i with over 200k, wrecked
    02' R1200 CLC, hit by a bus and broken in half. That one made the news!
    It's like herpes there is no cure but if treated properly you can live with it for the rest of your life

  9. #9
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    Quote Originally Posted by acspecialists View Post
    I just did one of my window regulators and will do the other one tomorrow. It is a big step to go from speakers to a window regulator, mine burned up to worm gear. It is not worth the short cut if you are going to get in there just replace them. It's really not that bad after you get the liner off. I wait for things to go wrong rather than PM, there never seems to be a shortage.
    I wouldn't dream of replacing the actual regulators as preventative maintenance. That would be a rather expensive endeavor. I was just making sure there wasn't anything I should do while I was in there like give 'em a squirt of lithium grease or anything like that.

  10. #10
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    Just did a window regulator on the rear the other day. The damn thing was stuck almost at the top fully closed position which made lowering the glass to pull out the guide near impossible. I was about to just CUT the bowden cable, when I looked at the replacement and just broke off the cover that was locking the bowden cable end into the vertical slider ... the hard part about that is that it faces away towards the outside door skin and I couldnt see at all what i was doing.

    I ordered one for the other side, but no way in hell am I doing another regulator replace unless its completely toast.

    Stancing is for drivers trapped in an abusive relationship of their own lives.

  11. #11
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    Yeah, that sounds like a pain. I'm just going to cross my fingers and hope I don't have to do any regulator replacements.

    So I guess I should talk about some mechanical stuff too... When the weather is decent the car runs fine, but it does NOT like cold weather, and my indy smoke tested it and diagnosed it with a leak in or around the PCV. They didn't fix it immediately because I had to swap vehicles with them as the e70 had a much more urgent issue, and now I find myself mulling over the possibility of doing the PCV replacement myself. I've seen the guide on meeknet, and a few youtube videos and it doesn't seem terribly daunting, but my track record with mechanical stuff is sketchy. (I'm fantastic with saws. Not so much with wrenches) On a difficulty scale of 1 to 10, how would you folks rate that project?
    Last edited by hmmurdock; 01-30-2020 at 04:13 PM.

  12. #12
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    The PCV while pretty straight forward requires patience and skill. It is in a bad spot and has torx head bolts. Get a torx bit, grind it flat and put a wrench on it. Don't pull unless the bit is square with the bolt head. Six of those and it pops right off because of the spring loaded pipe from the crankcase.

    Just to cover it, there is nothing to do on a window regulator except replace it. Plastic gears and wheels that break. Just leave the windows up and turn on the a/c.
    01' 750il Chromeline
    95 M3 LS swapped
    07 M5 Manual
    06' M5, Spartan wheels and a 507hp V10
    00' 740il Dinan, CAI, Romulus exhaust, Stage 5 engine and transmission tune, 750 brakes, camber plates, strut tower brace. Sold
    00' 323i wagon for daughter
    03' 525i wagon for the wife, sold
    98' 740i for the daughter, wrecked
    92' 525i with over 200k, wrecked
    02' R1200 CLC, hit by a bus and broken in half. That one made the news!
    It's like herpes there is no cure but if treated properly you can live with it for the rest of your life

  13. #13
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    The PCV while pretty straight forward requires patience and skill.


    You lost me at "skill." I've read Timm's tutorial and watched a few YouTube videos that made it look manageable, but I'm terrified I would mess something up and need to take the intake manifold off and that job looks like more than I want to handle. On the flip side, one of the videos I watched showed a guy using a 1/4" ratcheting end wrench with a hex drive torx bit glued in which looked a wee bit janky to me.
    I actually got this:
    https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B0...?ie=UTF8&psc=1 in order to get my dash piece reinstalled, but it looks like it might be the perfect tool for removing those torx bolts. (the back doesn't let the bit slip through like the end wrench) Whether I do it or send it to my indy, I did order the proper size hex head bolts for the reinstall (per Timm's recommendation)

    I also forgot to mention that I have a failed DSC module that needs to be replaced. I found a refurb Bosch on eBay, but it needs to be coded, and I do have a laptop I got from here many moons ago (with all of the necessary software) I'm too much of a chicken to try coding any modules yet, so I'm probably going to have to get it to the indy soon anyway. (I'm also not exactly sure where said laptop is after 2 moves)

  14. #14
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    That's what I meant, a 1/4 torx bit with a ratcheting wrench. If you grind the bit flat it will have more bite. Coding requires a ton of research but is not difficult. I think what people mean by "coding a module" is the VO, vehicle order. It is the first thing you pull up in NCS. It's not really coding like a the dash, EWS ro DME. It is just writing the "options" for the car into the module. Look at the diagnostics section to get started. Bimmergeeks is the place for the software and cable, you will need a 20 pin for anything other than the DME and TCM.
    01' 750il Chromeline
    95 M3 LS swapped
    07 M5 Manual
    06' M5, Spartan wheels and a 507hp V10
    00' 740il Dinan, CAI, Romulus exhaust, Stage 5 engine and transmission tune, 750 brakes, camber plates, strut tower brace. Sold
    00' 323i wagon for daughter
    03' 525i wagon for the wife, sold
    98' 740i for the daughter, wrecked
    92' 525i with over 200k, wrecked
    02' R1200 CLC, hit by a bus and broken in half. That one made the news!
    It's like herpes there is no cure but if treated properly you can live with it for the rest of your life

  15. #15
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    With all of the stuff I have going on at work I decided it would be best to let my indie (shoutout to Motorsports of Lexington) tackle the remaining issues under the hood (vacuum leak/PCV replacement and coding/replacing DSC module) while I'm in Phoenix for a week so hopefully when I get back I'll have the ol' gal back to 100% mechanically. Then I can start on getting the paint looking respectable again.

  16. #16
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    Got the ol' girl back this afternoon. Drove from Lexington to Louisville and she's running like a dream. The bad news is that my eBay-acquired DSC module is only slightly less flaky than the one it replaced. (No codes ATM, but the tech working on it told me that it has been intermittent since they swapped it out.) So I'm going to send my former DSC module off to get refurbed and then swap it back in. Then I'll probably send the eBay unit off to be refurbed as well. I'll still be way ahead $ wise compared to a new bosch module.

    If I can get some free time this weekend I'll be attempting my first pixel fix. I'm hoping that it goes a little better than DIEGO's attempt and I don't end up needing any replacement steppers.

  17. #17
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    opening the door panels, this is like major like level 7 on frustration trying to remove and level 8 frustration on reinstallation but lube the driver side door lock mechanism with something like prolong spl 100, there's really now way to lube everything on it unless it gets removed, not really necessary unless it's sticking though...

    adding aftermarket stereo? the dsp amplifier I believe is coded to the factory radio and heard that it doesn't work if the factory radio does not send the needed code to it, maybe there is a work around the issue not sure though. for the audio system subwoofer upgrade I would also remove rear seats remove the felt subwoofer cover and tighten up all the bolts and fasteners that hold the subwoofer enclosure to the rear car frame it will produce cleaner clearer deeper more extended sub bass, the fasteners usually get way loose over the years and need retightening.
    engine runs rough when cold? make sure the large o-ring between the air box and maf sensor is still there they fall out during air filter change etc. easily and are easily forgotten, there is a temp. sensor on the air box on some models and it needs a sealed system or it runs like bad all the time especially when cold..... oops you said it runs great now cool just got to the last post.....

  18. #18
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    I would recommend not taking the door lock latch system off the door unless absolutely necessary it's no joke getting that back together.....

  19. #19
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    Quote Originally Posted by chemmech View Post
    opening the door panels, this is like major like level 7 on frustration trying to remove and level 8 frustration on reinstallation but lube the driver side door lock mechanism with something like prolong spl 100, there's really now way to lube everything on it unless it gets removed, not really necessary unless it's sticking though...
    The driver side door was kind of a pain, but I think that was mostly because it was in the 20's outside and my fingers were getting numb. I'm hoping the rest of the door work can hold off until the weather is warmer. And since I replaced a lot of the butyl rubber seal on the moisture barrier when I had it off, it'll probably be a lot more inclined to come off again when the weather is warmer. At some point I'll have all 4 doors apart in the near future, for speaker upgrades and (pending approval from racer2086) upgrading to the lighted (lit?) interior door handles. At which point I'll also be lubing lock mechanisms (thanks for the suggestion on appropriate lube) and adjusting the lock "button" heights as whatever jackleg had this thing apart last time didn't bother to get them all uniform and it drives me nuts. I'll also be adding new butyl rubber seals all around. Now that I think about it, that's probably going to be the best time to tackle the broken ashtray in one of the back doors.


    adding aftermarket stereo? the dsp amplifier I believe is coded to the factory radio and heard that it doesn't work if the factory radio does not send the needed code to it, maybe there is a work around the issue not sure though.
    On the Avant site, there are options for the DSP integration and they do require the vehicle's VIN so presumably there is some doing in order to make that work. (several Youtube reviews lead me to believe they've figured it out)


    for the audio system subwoofer upgrade I would also remove rear seats remove the felt subwoofer cover and tighten up all the bolts and fasteners that hold the subwoofer enclosure to the rear car frame it will produce cleaner clearer deeper more extended sub bass, the fasteners usually get way loose over the years and need retightening.
    Considering the UV abuse the rear parcel shelf has taken I'm about 99% sure the surrounds on the factory speakers are totally shot so they're getting replaced (current target is the BavSound drop-in replacements) and that parcel shelf is getting re-dyed while it's out. Back seat has to come out anyway for another project so I'm hoping to tackle that all at once.


    engine runs rough when cold? make sure the large o-ring between the air box and maf sensor is still there they fall out during air filter change etc. easily and are easily forgotten, there is a temp. sensor on the air box on some models and it needs a sealed system or it runs like bad all the time especially when cold..... oops you said it runs great now cool just got to the last post.....
    Good info for the future, so I'll keep an eye on that o-ring etc if I starts acting up again.

    Thanks!

  20. #20
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    the door lock button is why i started to remove the mech the alarm would lock doors then not arm, found the door striker was worn so I switched it with the drivers side rear striker no more problems there, then I had to then fix the interior motion sensor it kept going off, so I renewed the electronics on the interior motion sensor then, I think that was the last problem with the alarm system... no way they can get the new units working with the dsp ampllifer, because the dsp amplifier is no joke just needs to get rebuilt, yep the subs will be totally rotted out I got the bavsound speakers subwoofers and refoamed the other 4 door woofers.....yep the o-ring, the car always sounded like it had a lifter issue, ran but no so great, then I found a big ... o-ring shoved beneath the air box area one day about 8 months ago , started looking found it's home, found it's place where it had to get installed, after like +15 years missing, and bam totally smooth engine really nice after that.....

  21. #21
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    Quote Originally Posted by chemmech View Post
    the door lock button is why i started to remove the mech the alarm would lock doors then not arm, found the door striker was worn so I switched it with the drivers side rear striker no more problems there, then I had to then fix the interior motion sensor it kept going off, so I renewed the electronics on the interior motion sensor then, I think that was the last problem with the alarm system...
    Now that you said that I also have an occasional warning on the dash that one of the rear doors is ajar when they're both definitely closed, so I suppose I need to troubleshoot that as well while I'm poking around.

    no way they can get the new units working with the dsp ampllifer, because the dsp amplifier is no joke just needs to get rebuilt, yep the subs will be totally rotted out I got the bavsound speakers subwoofers and refoamed the other 4 door woofers.....
    I can't say with 100% certainty since I haven't actually done it yet, but these things are purpose built to work with, and interact with the entire BMW electronic ecosystem, DSP included. There's plenty of videos on YouTube with people reviewing them. (mostly positive)

    https://avinusa.com/avant-4-multimed...eries-e38.html
    https://youtu.be/uyYN7zsiWxI?t=213

    As far as the speakers go, I think I'm just going to go BavSound all around unless I can find a spectacular deal on some Monsoons, and even then I'd still probably rather go with BavSound since I'm juggling enough projects right now as it is.

    yep the o-ring, the car always sounded like it had a lifter issue, ran but no so great, then I found a big ... o-ring shoved beneath the air box area one day about 8 months ago , started looking found it's home, found it's place where it had to get installed, after like +15 years missing, and bam totally smooth engine really nice after that.....
    Glad you finally tracked that gremlin down!

  22. #22
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    If you go after the pixel fix drill the holes under the face plates instead of massing with the gauges.
    01' 750il Chromeline
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    07 M5 Manual
    06' M5, Spartan wheels and a 507hp V10
    00' 740il Dinan, CAI, Romulus exhaust, Stage 5 engine and transmission tune, 750 brakes, camber plates, strut tower brace. Sold
    00' 323i wagon for daughter
    03' 525i wagon for the wife, sold
    98' 740i for the daughter, wrecked
    92' 525i with over 200k, wrecked
    02' R1200 CLC, hit by a bus and broken in half. That one made the news!
    It's like herpes there is no cure but if treated properly you can live with it for the rest of your life

  23. #23
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    Quote Originally Posted by acspecialists View Post
    If you go after the pixel fix drill the holes under the face plates instead of massing with the gauges.
    Yeah, all of the tutorials I've seen for it use the drill method. And I've heard nothing but horror stories from people that took the gauge needles off.

    Fun story (unrelated) So I drove Big Red to Louisville (about 65 miles) and went to work. When it was time to leave, I go out, keyfob unlocks the doors just fine, hop in the car, key in the ignition, give it a twist... Nothing. I check, and I didn't leave the lights on. Hmmm... Of course I have a pretty good jump-start battery that has saved me on more than one occasion... and it's sitting in the back seat of the X5 back in Lexington of course. (along with my set of jumper cables) Sigh... So I track down security, and they have a jump-start box so they come by, and try to hook it up backwards. (In their defense, the terminal cover for the positive terminal is black, and because the car is Imola, the negative post is sitting on top of a red strut tower, so in a roundabout sort of way the colors are backwards. Anyway, plug the box in turn the key.... click click click... nothing. But at least I could hear the starter solenoid trying to engage so that seemed like progress. Eventually I flag down a co-worker that happens to have an older e38 (whom I've had to jump a couple of times) and he came over with his jump-start box. This time we connect everything, I turn the key and... blackness. Lights out, dash is off, no bells, buzzers, nothing.

    Uh-oh.

    Well, we decide to try connecting to the battery in the trunk, and failing that, connect both jump-boxes (one in front and one in the back) and see how much magic smoke we can let out. Fortunately it didn't come to that. After fiddling with the trunk for a minute to get it open (key fob no longer working) upon trying to connect one of the jump-boxes, the positive cable got jostled and... LIFE! lights come back on, door-ajar bong starts bonging. Turns out the positive battery terminal was just loose. Started up like a champ after that.

    What can I say... it's always an adventure.

  24. #24
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    My Cars
    2001 750il Chrome line
    I had this happen on my M5 only I was on my own, got in the car just fine and as soon as I pushed the start button BLACKNESS! After googling how to get the trunk open I grabbed the positive cable and it came off in my hand. The BMW cables will tighten even if the post is not on the battery.

    You have to loosen the bolt, put the post on the battery, use a socket and hammer to seat the clamp on the post and then tighten the clamp.
    01' 750il Chromeline
    95 M3 LS swapped
    07 M5 Manual
    06' M5, Spartan wheels and a 507hp V10
    00' 740il Dinan, CAI, Romulus exhaust, Stage 5 engine and transmission tune, 750 brakes, camber plates, strut tower brace. Sold
    00' 323i wagon for daughter
    03' 525i wagon for the wife, sold
    98' 740i for the daughter, wrecked
    92' 525i with over 200k, wrecked
    02' R1200 CLC, hit by a bus and broken in half. That one made the news!
    It's like herpes there is no cure but if treated properly you can live with it for the rest of your life

  25. #25
    Join Date
    Feb 2011
    Location
    Lexington, KY
    Posts
    468
    My Cars
    09 X5 & 01 740i Sport
    Quote Originally Posted by acspecialists View Post
    I had this happen on my M5 only I was on my own, got in the car just fine and as soon as I pushed the start button BLACKNESS! After googling how to get the trunk open I grabbed the positive cable and it came off in my hand. The BMW cables will tighten even if the post is not on the battery.

    You have to loosen the bolt, put the post on the battery, use a socket and hammer to seat the clamp on the post and then tighten the clamp.
    Had I been on my own, it probably would have been a similar experience to yours. Cable jiggling is pretty high on my list of troubleshooting tools, so I likely would have sussed out the problem fairly quickly. As it was, my brain just defaulted to "Won't turn over = get a jump from someone" since there was a few folks handy to get a jump from. Also kudos to the several random people that work here that stopped to ask if I needed help. Good folks around here.

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